New Jersey Hosts the Country’s First Same-Sex Marriage on a Military Base, and It’s Adorable

Umali said coming out to his squadron wasn’t a problem for him, and when he introduced Behrens as his fiance, people applauded.

“Prior to doing all this, we were nervous,” said Behrens, who works in the financial industry. “We talked about losing our families, and there are plenty of people we know who are living a hidden relationship and they’re worried that their family will disown them.” [Daily News]

Their story is kind of unusual, too, considering they’re in their 30s:

Absent from the festivities were the two grooms’ parents. Behrens’ said his father and mother disapprove of his relationship. Umali, who was born in the Philippines, said his parents are still struggling with his sexuality, although they’ve met Behrens.

Part of the struggle is that both men were previously married to women and each had two children.

They also grew up in religious families. They even met each other in 2006 through a church in southern New Jersey, where Behrens was the choir director.

At the time, Umali was divorced, while Behrens was still married.

After years of a friendship that grew into a relationship, Behrens came clean to his wife and his family.

I know both DADT and marriage are causes that a lot of people feel “big gay” focuses too much on, to the detriment of other, more life-and-death needs in the LGBTQ community. Still, this is pretty amazing.